Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce over $71 Million in Housing Awards Headed to Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total investment of $71,024,288 across Oregon in federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds have been dispersed into five different categories that will tackle various housing issues around the state. "I've heard from many Oregonians who are struggling under the enormous weight of America's affordable housing crisis-a crisis that has only been magnified by the … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Cantwell, Feinstein Introduce Bill Protecting Consumers from Fuel Market Anomalies Hurting Consumers
Washington, D.C. -- With Americans facing record level gas and diesel price increases, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) today co-sponsored legislation introduced by Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that would significantly increase transportation fuel market transparency and direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to proactively monitor and prevent any fraud or manipulation that may be artificially inflating pump prices. "The outrageous volatility of the oil and gas market goes far beyond legitimate … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Push Infant Formula Manufacturers to Address Crisis, Get Formula on Shelves ASAP
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in a letter calling on infant formula manufacturers to make every effort possible to get parents and families in Oregon and nationwide the formula they need to feed their kids. "We write to express our concern about the infant formula supply shortage which is making it harder for parents and caregivers nationwide to get their children the nourishment they need," Wyden and the senators wrote in a letter to Mardi Mountford, … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Department of Homeland Security to Help State and Local Governments Improve Election Security
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help states effectively use funding from the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) to fortify election security against interference both domestic and abroad. "We write to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take steps to ensure that state and local governments are able to effectively … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Health Care Professionals from Workplace Violence
Washington, D.C. - In honor of National Nurses Week, Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation to protect health care and social services employees from workplace violence. "Caring for our health care professionals and social service workers can't wait," Wyden said. "They have been working long and difficult hours on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic while also being subjected to unacceptable violence in the workplace. Congress must stand with our … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge SEC to Finalize Tough Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules for Public Companies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and six Senate colleagues this week urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase transparency for investors in an age of persistent cybersecurity threats with rising economic costs. In March, the SEC published proposed rules on Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure. The proposed rules seek to enhance and standardize disclosures regarding public companies' cybersecurity risk governance, … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge Treasury to Swiftly Implement Corporate Transparency Act to Support Russian Sanctions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Senate colleagues from both parties are calling on the Treasury Department to swiftly implement the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and provide a timeline for doing so. Implementation of the CTA would upgrade the country's anti-money laundering laws and help the federal government fully impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs. "The Treasury Department has yet to finalize the implementation of the CTA-or even set a timetable for its … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden Introduces Bill to Securely Share Research Data Between Government Agencies; Data Could Unlock New Insights to Improve Americans’ Lives
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced legislation to improve government services and unlock new research by securely sharing data between federal agencies - without sacrificing security or privacy. The Secure Research Data Network Act would create a free open-source software data platform to provide approved government researchers with secure access to without compromising Americans' privacy. "Sharing government data with approved researchers and protecting … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden Secures VA Commitment to Town Hall Meetings for Veterans in Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has secured commitments from top Veterans Administration (VA) officials for multiple town hall meetings with Eastern Oregon veterans concerned about agency proposals to reduce physical and mental health services at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Walla Walla. That commitment for three town hall meetings follows a letter Wyden wrote the VA this week about its "hasty and dangerous" proposals to reduce care in Eastern … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden Delivers Floor Speech After Republicans Block the Women’s Health Protection Act
Mr. President, earlier today the Senate took one the most significant votes I have been a part of in all my time in public service. While the Women's Health Protection Act did not pass today, this vote made it very clear on which side every senator stands. The Republicans unanimously voted for criminalized abortion in more than half the states in just a few weeks. Democrats voted to stop the Alito Court from turning the clock back on women's health by a century. Let's be one-hundred … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden Statement on Senate Republicans Blocking Legislation to Codify Roe into Law
Washington, D.C. -- Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into law: "In a free society, everyone ought to have control over their own bodies. Yet Republicans on the Supreme Court and Republicans in the Senate have made it crystal clear that stripping women of their Constitutional freedoms and endangering lives is at the top of the right-wing agenda. I voted to … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Seek Better Pay for Federal Wildland Firefighters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week joined colleagues from both parties in urging federal officials to establish a special pay rate for federal wildland firefighters in Oregon and nationwide that would address urgent staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce. "As the 2022 fire season begins, we urge you to take necessary steps to avert critical staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce," the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Agriculture … Continue Reading
May 06, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $82 Million in Secure Rural Schools Funds to go to Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that Oregon counties will receive more than $82 million in payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) for school and road maintenance, youth job training, wildfire prevention, watershed restoration and habitat conservation. "For the better part of two decades, SRS payments have maintained an economic lifeline for Oregonians counting on quality schools, dependable … Continue Reading
May 05, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest to Receive More than $295,000 for Health Services
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) will receive $295,112 from the Indian Health Service (IHS) for providing crucial mental, physical and behavioral health services for Native Americans in Portland. "It is critical that Native American communities have access to quality, culturally appropriate healthcare whether living in a city, rural community or on a reservation," Wyden said. … Continue Reading
May 04, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Critical Step Forward to Modernize Oregon’s Waterways and Ports for Those Who Rely on Them
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a raft of critical projects and policy initiatives for Oregon that have been written into the Water Resources Development Act?(WRDA) of 2022 which passed out of a key Senate committee today. The bill will next head to the Senate floor for a full vote. "Every one of us wants to know that we can rely on safe water coming from our taps and that other key water infrastructure will be there to keep us and our … Continue Reading
May 04, 2022
Wyden Votes For Non-Binding Resolution on Iran Policy
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted in favor of a non-binding Motion to Instruct, urging the executive branch not to disregard Iran's nuclear weapons program or human rights violations when negotiating an new agreement with Iran. Wyden, who voted in favor of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, and opposed Donald Trump's withdrawal from the deal, issued the following statement today: "Today, I joined a bipartisan group of senators to vote for a non-binding … Continue Reading
May 04, 2022
Wyden, Murray, Casey, Hassan Demand Answers From Top Companies Illegally Delaying or Denying Patients Insurance Coverage for Birth Control
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) this week pressed the nation's largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to answer deeply troubling reports that they are breaking the law by illegally delaying or denying patient insurance coverage for birth control. "We have heard numerous accounts of PBMs requiring prior authorization, denying claims, or asking patients to try multiple forms of contraceptives before approving … Continue Reading
May 03, 2022
ENR Committee Passes Wyden’s Recreation Not Red Tape Act
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today passed a bipartisan recreation bill that included key components of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden's Recreation Not Red Tape Act to remove barriers to outdoor recreation, increase equitable access to public lands, and boost rural economies and jobs. "No matter who you are or where you're from, everyone should be able to have equitable access to enjoy our public lands," Wyden said. "Breaking down the burdensome … Continue Reading
May 03, 2022
Wyden statement on reported draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Washington, D.C. -- Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the leaked draft Supreme Court majority opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade: "The Republican party has set the stage for a total erosion of Americans' constitutional rights. They have made clear they won't stop at gutting the right for a woman to make decisions about her own body. Republicans know that the majority of Americans don't support eroding fundamental rights like privacy, so instead, they packed the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2022
Wyden: “Surveillance Transparency Report” Fails To Explain How Many Americans’ Communications Are Searched By the FBI
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called on the FBI to explain the increase in the number of searches of Americans' communications, and to stop providing essentially meaningless statistics to the American people. "For anyone outside the U.S. government, the astronomical number of FBI searches of Americans' communications is either highly alarming or entirely meaningless," Wyden said. "Somewhere in all that over-counting are real … Continue Reading
